The board of the Lagos State Football Association on Tuesday suspended its chairman, , for gross misconduct by a simple majority of five to four.
At the meeting held at the LSFA office on Ogunlana Drive, Surulere, Lagos, Fouad Oki was alleged to have “committed, among other things, offences which violates against the rules and regulations of the Nigeria Football Federation.”
The embattled FA boss was accused of “not attending the NFF Congress with no excuse and without the knowledge of the LSFA Board, changing of the association logo without approval of the board and the congress, denying the Nigerian Professional League A1 Camera delegates access to test-run the A1 camera prior to the commencement of the league, and total disregard to NFF instructions on NPFL rules and regulations regarding branding and streaming of matches by our affiliate (Sporting Lagos FC).”
Oki was also alleged to have “released the 2023/24 NNL SEASON – MATCH DAY LOGISTiCS to NNL clubs without the knowledge of the board, delayed and stopped several youth tournaments and recreational football, threatening teams to move out of Lagos and initiating independence of LSFA outside of the authority of the NFF.”
The board also said he was at loggerheads with the Lagos State Sports Commission on the use of facilities and accused him of “spoiling a hitherto amiable relationship.”
After his suspension, Oki was also alleged to have slapped his vice chairman Olawale Gafar. A video, which went viral online on Tuesday, showed Gafaar lamenting, with Oki seated close to him
“It’s over, it’s over sir, we can’t take this anymore, you (Oki) slapped me. Chairman, you slapped me and punched me in my throat. Ill take anything for football, I’m taking this again for football. This is our destiny, this is our lives, the oppression is over, the board is suspending you unanimously,” Gafaar told Oki.
Speaking with journalists after the drama, Gafar said, “There are few things that came out recently that we did not discuss at the board level that he unilaterally released to the public. We had a meeting after that and I made my opinion known. We the board members sampled our opinion, came in this (Tuesday) morning, formed a quorum and voted for his suspension.
“The grounds of the suspension include not going to the NFF AGM and telling clubs that they can move out of Lagos if they won’t do what he says.”
Gafar, however, said the suspension was meant to correct Oki.
“We formed a quorum; we were nine and the voting process was five to four. Normally, we are supposed to call a congress, which will give him a fair hearing, but it was on the verge of this that he descended on me, choked and slapped me,” Gafar added.
t is the latest in the series of drama that had bedevilled the Oki-led board just five months after it was elected into office.
Earlier this month the Lagos State Sports Commission, in a letter dated October 5, 2023 and titled ‘MATTERS ARISING – LAGOS STATE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION’ had warned Oki to desist from “making pronouncements on access, fees and use of all state-owned stadia in Lagos” after the embattled Lagos FA boss allegedly announced “astronomical rates” for usage of sports facilities by Lagos-based clubs in the domestic league.
The letter, signed by Sola Aiyepeku, Executive Chairman, LSSC, read, “The leadership of the Lagos State Sports Commission has noted with serious concern, some of the decisions recently announced by the Lagos State Football Association, including the following: that all clubs in Lagos participating in the Nigerian National League should pay a fee of N500,000 for access to the Mobolaji Johnson Arena among other costs for every home game; that the only Lagos-based club participating in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) should pay a fee of N800,000 for access to the Mobolaji Johnson Arena among other costs for every home game; that these clubs cannot display any promotional or commercial messages and branding in and around the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Lagos during their home games; that these clubs cannot stream their home games on their social media platforms.”
The letter added, “The mandate of the Lagos State Sports Commission under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is to provide the environment and support necessary for sports development to thrive. Through the sports commission, the Governor has demonstrated his support by giving clubs such as FC Robo and MFM buses and has fully supported the efforts of Sporting Lagos who now play in the NPPL. He has also supported many other initiatives to encourage private sector investment and participation in the sports.
“In the light of Mr Governor’s vision and the mandate of the Lagos State Sport Commission, kindly note the following: the operations and management of Mobolaji Johnson Stadium and all state-owned stadia and sports facilities in Lagos is under the purview of the Lagos State Sports Commission and not any sports association. To support clubs playing in various national leagues in Lagos, the commission only demands for a nominal fee to cover costs of facility management and sanitation before and after games at our stadia.
“Forthwith, the Lagos State Football Association should desist from making any decisions or pronouncements on access, fees and use of all state-owned stadia in Lagos. All subsequent requests for use of any state-owned facility must be channelled through the Sports Commission’s Director-General’s office.”
But Aiyepeku, however, declined comments on Oki’s suspension.
“I’m yet to receive an official report, so I can’t speak on it,” he said.
An LSSC official explained that Oki closed down the Campos mini stadium without permission from the sports body.
“He wrote a letter to the police and DSS asking them to shut down Campos mini stadium, which he (Oki) did without informing the LSSC, but we had to step in before they opened the place the next day.”
Calls to Oki’s mobile line were not picked, but he responded to a WhatsApp message with a video of him hitting the camera of a TV journalist, after Gafar ushered in the journalist to record the proceedings.
